I use Wilton's Snow White Buttercream recipe, using meringe powder, shortening and water, only (no butter, eggs or cream). After I ice the cookies, I let them sit out to dry for a couple of hours or so. The icing will be hard on the surface but soft inside. As long as you lay the cookies gently one on top of the other, the icing doesn't get too smooshed.

Alternatively, you could colour your sugar and skip the icing. I have a little mini food processor that I'll put a cup of sugar in with some colouring paste and whir it around. It blends the colour evenly and fines up the sugar a bit, making it even better for sprinkling on the top of the cookies.

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After cleaning out my Dad's house, I have this advice: If you haven't used it in a year, throw it out!!!!.

Confectioners sugar (aka powdered sugar) with a bit of milk or (my preference) lemon juice*. If you just use the milk, add almond or vanilla extract for flavor. Make a batch, separate into different bowls and use food coloring for different colors.

This is an easy icing I've used forever . . . especially when kids get involved. It's easy to spread or use a toothpick for fine details. It does dry to a crust so that you can stack the cookies.

*Sorry, I don't have exact measurements. Add the milk or lemon juice a little (eta, like a teaspoon or less) at a time, stirring out the lumps, so that it's like an "Elmers-glue" type of consistency. ( I can't think of any other way to describe it. Not too thick where it's gloppy and not too thin where it's runny.)

Podding the Royal Icing. It's just powdered sugar, water, and meringue powder. The meringue powder is key because it helps the icing garden quickly. A small canister will last a long time because you only use a few tablespoons.You can also add any flavoring of your choice - I usually use Lemon juice. To get black without using up all the dye, add cocoa powder to make brown and then add your coloring.The royal frosting works great if you are piping the frosting or if you thin it out to cover the ehe cookie. Good luck and happy baking!

The traditional royal icing does contain raw eggs, so if you've got a danger-conscious crowd (or pregnant women) you might want a label on them.

I remember using the icing sugar and lemon juice version, with food colouring. It makes a very thin icing, which I think would be a lot easier to decorate with (rather than just ice) than the much fluffier royal icing - you can use it almost like a paint, or use a dipped toothpick for details. It dried fairly firmly, as there's no fat in it, so you can stack the cookies in a tin, and it glues on other decorations nicely.

I know this is late for the OP, but in case anyone else was looking for sugar cookie icing:

Start with 1 cup powdered sugar, add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 Tb milk, and mix. It makes a very thick paste. Add milk by 1 tsp amounts and stir til you have the desired consistency (thick like glue vs. paste or liquid). I also added food coloring (1 drop makes pretty strong pastels, need 2 or more drops for blended colors or vibrant primaries). Lemon juice also works, as mentioned, instead of milk. I used a food brush to paint the cookies, and wax paper to separate layers of cookies for transporting.

Oops, I forgot to update! I ended making a cashew cookie with confectioner sugar icing, topped with half a cashew.

Cashews are my favorite nut and the recipe sounded delicious. But... the recipe called for 6 cups of cashews but you really couldn't taste them after baking. They ended up being expensive but 'meh' cookies.